Chapter 129: Chapter 34: A Word of Disagreement, and On to the Magic Battle Platform

“Master, if this Soul-Shocking Bell is really that profitable, I’m afraid we won’t have the power to hold onto it.”

Yinjiao said, a hint of worry in his voice.

Yang Jing said nonchalantly,

“It’s not that it would be difficult to hold onto. It’s that we absolutely can’t.”

The Nine Heavens World didn’t have patent laws. This Soul-Shocking Bell only had three Restrictions. Even if Yang Jing and Iron Head implemented extensive measures to prevent it from being copied, it would definitely not stay a secret for long. He had brought out the Soul-Shocking Bell mainly to increase his Affinity with Ji Feng; how many Spirit Stones he could earn was a secondary concern.

Just by finalizing their collaboration on the Soul-Shocking Bell, Ji Feng’s Affinity had already risen to forty-five. Getting it to sixty was only a matter of time.

Besides, it would take at least several months from the Soul-Shocking Bell’s appearance in the Five Elements True Spirit Sect to it drawing attention and its Restrictions being cracked. That was more than enough time for Yang Jing to earn a fortune in Spirit Stones.

This was the Five Elements True Spirit Sect, after all. He was also a Sword Cultivator who had mastered the Geng Metal Sword Mantra, which made him all but an Inner Sect Disciple. Even if someone coveted the profits from the Soul-Shocking Bell, they wouldn’t dare to go too far. The income from the bell wasn’t enough to attract the covetous attention of a Golden Core Cultivator.

Talisman Making was what he planned to be his long-term, steady source of income.

「The next day.」

Yang Jing was confronted by three Inner Sect Disciples.

“You’re Yang Jing?”

The three disciples were dressed in the Daoist Robes of the Inner Sect, their expressions arrogant.

Yang Jing used his Bright Qi Talent and could tell with a single glance that they were all at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation. A fiery aura also lingered around them, a sign of long-term contact with Spiritual Fire. Huan Qingshuang was the Chief Steward of the Firework Hall, so their origins were self-evident.

“So, where’s Huan Qingwen? Did she send you three Inner Sect Disciples over while she hides away?”

The three Inner Sect Disciples’ expressions changed. They hadn’t expected Yang Jing to have such a backbone and not submit immediately as they’d anticipated. He had even made them sound like Huan Qingwen’s lackeys.

“We just couldn’t stand the sight of you and came to teach you a lesson. What does this have to do with Junior Sister Huan?”

“What loyal dogs, not even daring to speak her name.”

Yang Jing’s words made the veins on their foreheads throb, and they began to curse loudly.

The commotion drew a crowd of other Class A Disciples. Thanks to his Guardian Beast rental service, Yang Jing was fairly popular in Class A. Moreover, they were all classmates, yet he was being bullied on their own turf by Inner Sect Disciples—three against one, no less. Naturally, they felt a sense of solidarity.

Ji Feng went a step further, standing directly behind Yang Jing and presenting a united front.

This sight made Huan Qingwen’s face turn pale with rage.

Her clan sister, Huan Qingshuang, had learned of Ji Feng’s exceptional Talent and how he had triggered a celestial phenomenon during his Transformation. Since then, she’d regarded him as her own private prize, deeply regretting that she hadn’t signed a Spirit Contract with him sooner.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Once Ji Feng successfully completed his Transformation and became an Outer Disciple of the Sect, many of her usual tactics were no longer viable, and it was certainly impossible to force him into a Spirit Contract.

Believing it was better late than never, her rather astute clan sister began trying to win over Ji Feng, while also ordering Huan Qingwen to keep a close eye on things in Class A and prevent anyone else from getting to him first.

Huan Qingwen had her own agenda. Her Talent wasn’t on par with her clan sister’s. If her clan sister, Huan Qingshuang, actually managed to form a Spirit Contract with Ji Feng, wouldn’t she be doomed to be nothing more than a minor follower for all eternity? So, she had also been secretly trying to win him over, even swallowing her pride to send him gifts.

But to her surprise, despite her taking the initiative to win him over, Ji Feng actively kept his distance and even refused her gifts.

What truly shattered Huan Qingwen’s composure was that after all her painstaking efforts had failed, Yang Jing—a dirt-poor Outer Disciple who started as an Independent Cultivator—had used some kind of Demon Technique to become fast friends with Ji Feng seemingly without any effort at all.

Yang Jing stopped his classmates from drawing any closer.

“Enough talk. Let’s take this to the Magic Battle Platform.”

A hush fell over the crowd at his words.

These three were Inner Sect Disciples.

Only by passing the Sect’s grand competition could one join the Inner Sect, so there were almost no weaklings among the Inner Sect Disciples. Some of the more astute disciples had already used the Qi Observation Technique and confirmed it: all three were masters at the Eighth Layer of Qi Cultivation.

“You’ve said it, no backing out!”

Heqiao Mountain, the leader of the trio, was overjoyed.

The Five Elements True Spirit Sect strictly forbade private duels and disciples killing one another. The sect was incredibly strict in investigating such matters. For truly irreconcilable conflicts, one was to settle things on the Magic Battle Platform. They were only acting on private orders from Chief Steward Huan Qingshuang to teach this Outer Disciple a lesson; they didn’t dare risk their own futures over it.

Heqiao Mountain had heard that Sword Cultivators were known for their fiery tempers, so he had planned on goading Yang Jing into a fight on the Magic Battle Platform. He just hadn’t expected Yang Jing’s temper to be even more explosive than the rumors claimed. Before he even had a chance to provoke him, Yang Jing had brought it up himself.

“Junior Brother Ji, let me borrow that Sword Artifact you refined.”

Yang Jing said to Ji Feng, who was standing behind him.

Ji Feng hastily took out all the Magical Artifacts he had refined.

Yang Jing chose a four-foot-long sword from the collection. Its form was similar to the Demon-slaying Sword he had used before. In keeping with Ji Feng’s style of Artifact Refining, it was exceptionally ornate. The scabbard was intricately carved with the pattern of a phoenix, highlighted with color. The crossguard was shaped like a phoenix spreading its wings, and the blade itself was covered in a feather-like pattern, gleaming with a cold light.

This sword was far sharper and more durable than the crudely made Demon-slaying Sword he had before. A dozen or so Restrictions were inscribed upon its blade. Although the Celestial Craftsmanship Book was outdated, the power of these Restrictions was still impressive, and they were actually better suited for him to wield by hand.

Fights on the Magic Battle Platform required the supervision of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, who could intervene if necessary to prevent death or serious injury.

「An hour later.」

Some busybody had fetched Feng Tianyi. Two other Foundation Establishment Cultivators came along with him, curiously sizing up Yang Jing.

During that time, Yang Jing had remained seated cross-legged, using his Magical Power to familiarize himself with the Sword Artifact. He only rose to bow when the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators arrived.

Feng Tianyi returned the bow with a smile. His gaze lingered on Huan Qingwen for a moment before he turned to Heqiao Mountain, his expression now blank, and said,

“Begin.”

’Such blatant favoritism made Heqiao Mountain’s heart skip a beat. ’Junior Sister Huan never said Yang Jing was so highly regarded by the senior cultivators!’ But now that things had come to this, he had no way of backing down. He could only brace himself and see it through to the end.

On normal days, the Magic Battle Platform was also used by disciples to practice their Magic. It was a Jade Platform, ten zhang long, ten zhang wide, and one zhang high.

Since this was the first official Magical Combat for the new batch of Outer Disciples, a large crowd had gathered. Even disciples from the distant D Class had rushed over to watch the spectacle, to say nothing of those from the closer C and B Classes. Some Outer Disciples who couldn’t get a good viewing spot even took to the sky on their Flying Spiritual Artifacts.

Standing on the Magic Battle Platform, Yang Jing spotted many familiar faces in the crowd. There was Zhang Peishan, whom he had defeated in a previous Magical Combat, and his friend, Ren Xingzhou. In fact, nearly all the disciples from the Chen Kingdom who had arrived at the Five Elements True Spirit Sect on the same Flying Boat were present.

“Senior Brother, I await your instruction,”

he said to Heqiao Mountain, drawing his sword.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep